Christmas 2010

I Love Christmas with my family.  Nothing beats spending time together for the holidays.  From the Christmas Eve candle light Journey dinner with finger foods and the Bible story.

 To fun and games,

 and of course Fondue for dessert.

 To Christmas morning gathering on the stairs for pictures every year since I can remember,

 to the wonderful smiles of great kids finding their surprises from Santa,

 and opening presents from so many wonderful friends and family.

 

I could not ask for more.  

Can't wait for next year when we will have all the kids together, but it was a great first Christmas for Steve and I, and the kids didn't mind having two Christmases!

 We had the opportunity to go visit Temple Square with The Sim's this week.  I hadn't been in years and it was really fun to go. I remember going as a kid, and enjoyed taking ours.

Never ceases to amaze me how beautiful this temple is, and hearing the history behind it again and again, makes it even more so.

Gotta have some eyebrows, 

and some boogers, 

 or the trip wouldn't be complete. Lets just hope it's in that order...

Could be a good family pictures. Missing two things.
1- Bailey 2- Carter's face

The model of the temple is really neat. It has the interior and the exterior in complete detail.

Cooped up?

Should I plead guilty for lack of giving my children the entertainment they need during finals week?

Or I could just be proud I have children with such creative minds and self confidences.

I will definitely take the credit for those amazing legs!

Unfortunately, I should probably take blame for the style choice as well...

The kicker was that Carter wanted to go out delivering christmas gifts that way. Elli did NOT like that idea. Private humiliation is fine, but public embarassment is too much for her to handle.

The smiles they have lasted only temporarily, because of the above situation.

But I will take any smiles, any way, any how, deserved or not.

I vow to give my kids all the time and attention they need and deserve this Christmas break from school. If for nothing else, to prevent their "creativity" from coming out in such a manner again. For all our sakes!

; )

One way

I guess that is one way to play on the ipod...

Wouldn't be my pick,
but if you're Carter,

it works quite well,
apparently.

Winter Wonders

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Leaves or snow, rain or sun, we hope you all had so much fun!

Our Wedding

Now that I have the pictures back from our wedding, I want to take the time to document the special day.  Bare with  me, this post will be long, and major picture overload!

October 13, 2010:
With the majority of our family members here by evening time, we decided to have a banana split get together at our house so everyone could meet. With Steve's parents in Washington and mine in St. George, they hadn't met before.  It was fun to have everyone over and spend a little time together before the big day.

October 14, 2010:
7:00 am- Flowers are delivered.  I was very pleased! Turned out just as I wanted!
9:30 am-We decided to have our families meet at Kneaders for our favorite breakfast- All you can eat chunky cinnamon french toast.  Mmmm!
11:00 am- The shoes I ordered online (Pumas) to go under my dress hadn't arrived so ran around town looking for some. Thank you Nordstrom Rack- got some that I liked even better.
12:00 pm- Steve and the Dad's pick up the cake
4:00 pm- Start getting the kids ready. Bribing starts when the tux comes out of the bag.  Thank you Dad for the dual light saber set.  Loaded in the car ready for its front row seat.
4:30 pm- A few of us head to the reception center to set up the flowers, favors, and pictures.  I am so happy with the weather and the set up!
5:00 pm- Almost forget that I haven't even got ready yet!  Head to the Brides room with mom and sisters to get ready.  My dress is tight.  I know this is the case cause I want to hide all the flab with the corset top.  Didn't know it was going to be this tight.  It is hard to breath.  Gotta loosen it.  Oh well, at least some of the flab is hiding still!  The shoes are comfortable but the rubber soles come up to high on the sides and get stuck on my dress making it hard to walk.  Oh well. Too late now!  It will work.
5:55 pm- We are informed that the caterer has not yet arrived.  We have to stall the wedding.  Elli and Bailey are already in place, Carter and I are waiting our ride to the lower area on the golf cart. He does not like waiting.  Neither do I.
6:10 pm- Caterer's have arrived and assure us everything is under control. Time to head. Crap. Carter has to pee the second we sit down on the golf cart. You have got to be kidding me.  The wedding planner lady that is going to drive us down runs him in to the bathroom.
6:15 pm- Here we go.  We get to the back of the building to find Elli in tears insisting that she is not going to be the flower girl.  She is frantic and hysterical.  10 more minutes it takes me bribing, begging, pleading, and yes, threatening.  Thanks to my wonderful sister Neisha for volunteering herself to be part of the wedding walk, we move forward just as I am about in tears.  Elli crying or not, she is being dragged down the isle.  About by row 2, she has a hint of a smile.  Little punk.  I figured this would happen with Carter, not her.  Hadn't prepared for this. The music calms me down, I love the song I chose, a piano version of Rascal Flatts, "Bless the Broken Road."
6:25 pm- Carter and I are finally on our way down the isle. He is walking like a tin soldier with tiny steps.  It will take us an hour at this rate to get to the front where my husband-to-be is waiting.  I try leaning down and asking if he wants to walk faster. He says no.  At least he is smiling and so am I. Every one else is laughing.  We finally reach the front- I get to my Steve, He gets to his lightsaber bribe.  We are both happy.
6:30 pm- Our wonderful Bishop marries us.  It was short, sweet, and perfect. He is a great guy. He has done so much for me. I am glad he is here for us now.  I didn't cry like I thought I would. My eyes watered a few times but I held it in.  At last, we are husband and wife!  I couldn't be happier.  Heavenly Father knew what he was doing all along.  Why did it take me so long to trust him?!
6:45 pm- Family and friends, lots of hugs, I love them all.  Everyone heads up for hot carmel apple cider and we head for some quick pictures before sun down.
7:30 pm- Excellent food, except I can't eat much. My dress is too tight. Especially sitting down.  Where is Kelsee? I need to loosen it.  Wait, then I will look wider. I will just stand up.  Helps a little. Dang, I wanted more food...
8:30 pm-Cut the cake, smash it on Steve's face. He was nice to me.  Oh well.  I couldn't resist.  I likely will not live it down.
8:40 pm- First dance. I couldn't decide between two songs so I had Tyler surprise me.  It was perfect. Then I got to dance with my dad for the next one.
8:50 pm- Squeeze in some family pictures, say lots of good byes. We are so blessed to have two amazing families.  
9:00 pm- Time to get changed. Still got to drive to Park City tonight.  I grab my sisters to help me. I feel so much relief when the dress is undone, I can breathe.  My ribs feel bruised.  Good thing I didn't wait until January to get married. The dress never would have fit.  Gosh dang it. I need to diet.
9:15 pm- Head to the car. The kids have nicely decorated it.  Give lots of hugs to the kids and last minute instructions to family.  They are a little sad but they will be fine.  It is hard for me to leave them.  Heck, what is my problem. This is my honeymoon!  I am out of here!

The day was perfect. Everything about it.  Yes, even the little bloops- because it is us. It is our family. It is life!  Life has its moments of pure bliss and even more moments of pure frustration, and yet, all together, we find the greatest happiness, highest satisfaction, and deepest laughs, in our families. This is mine, it's official beginning, and everything that I love!

The best kids ever

If I didn't know before, I now firmly believe, that these kids are the greatest ever.  This weekend Steve and I have both been super sick, and these two little sweetheart's have fended for themselves, cared for each other, and been little troopers.  I am so proud of them!  Finally this afternoon they had had enough of the inside walls of this sick house and made it out to play in the snow- pajamas and all!  Mommy had to at least snap a picture, and the breath of cold fresh air felt refreshing.
My tooth problem I blogged about previously has not gone away.  I don't know if the infection has spread or if the nerves are infected some how but I have been in pain all week.  This weekend I hardly got out of bed. Saturday morning Steve woke up with laryngitis so no voice.  It was not a fun few days.  I am looking forward to being back to normal and am hoping the dentist tomorrow can finally figure this out once and for all and that Steve will be back on his feet soon too! 
In the mean time, I had to brag about what amazing kids we have despite being cooped up and neglected, they are champs!

Teeth

How can such a small thing cause so much pain and cost so much money!?  Teeth are a pain in the butt! I have been having trouble with a tooth since June and had a root canal on it.  It didn't get better and the pain spread up through my face.  Because of money we waited to get it done. I finally ended up at an oral surgeon with infection spread into my sinuses and he suggested I get it fixed asap or it could get worse, more painful and dangerous, and more pricey. So last week we got it fixed. It was about an hour and a half fix and he said it went well.  I am still struggling with feeling 100% but its good it is over with I guess.  I just hate stupid things like this that you can do nothing about! Grr...

7

I was doing Elli's hair today and she was chatting away as usual. She was telling me that she always wonders how things work and how things happen. Like how we see and why eyeballs see color and if we are looking into a mirror how we know it is us cause we can't really see our faces except for in mirrors.  She was getting into all this deep stuff about how our bodies work and it was so funny to see her mind working- just like mine!  I am just like that. I think about the logistics of everything. Maybe a girl thing, maybe a Melissa thing, probably some of both.  None the less, my daughter is already showing symptoms of my analysis disease that tends to drive others crazy!  The funniest thing was when Steve walked in and asked what we were talking about. I tried explaining a little bit and then Elli say's, "You won't understand, your a just man." When we asked what a "just man" was, she said, "It's what guys do. They don't understand things so they say, "that is just how it is.""  The annalist marries the just man. A perfect combination! 

When I was putting Elli to bed tonight she told me she wanted to have a late night with a friend this weekend. When I asked her who she would like to invite over she said, "M" (won't say the name but it is a BOY in her class.)  She went on to tell me about a big crush she has on M.  I told her it was best to just be friends for now.  Her reply was, "I try to like him as a friend but I just can't help it.  He is so cute and so nice and so funny!  If I have a late night with him we can just watch a movie and sit by each other."  Oh boy....  Then when I was walking out a few minutes later she was saying to herself, "M and Elli B, M and Elli B." I remember trying out the names of guys I liked, but that wasn't until I was in high school or college!  We are in so much trouble with this girl...

I can finally say it...

Carter is officially sleeping in his own bed!  Woo Hoo!  I had very little hope it would go smoothly, but thanks to StarWars- his most recent obsession, we successfully conquered the process and with a full sticker chart headed to the store to purchase this >

 Not only was it worth it for the sleeping part, but the best part is how proud he is of himself and this smug little smile he has!

Halloween 2010

Oh how I love holidays! Kids make them even better! Despite the rain, the kids had a great time.  Its kind of funny that despite all the candy the kids get, they just aren't that into candy.  I never even have to put limits or hide it.  It just sits around.  I really think it's because its always available to them so they just don't want it.  A kind of reverse psychology so to speak. It's great!

Steve and I even "dressed up" for the ward party on Friday night.  I have married into the Seahawks fan clan and have proof of it in more than one way now! 

Just like Daddy

Steve went outside to trim the rose bushes before the snow came. Carter wanted to help.  It was so cute! At one point he came inside to get him and daddy water. He went into the bathroom by himself and filled up two little paper cups and took them outside. He was so proud of himself and just watching through the window made my day.  He is getting to the point where he is preferring boys over girls.  He still has his little girl friends around, but they don't play as often and have a hard time agreeing on something to play.  He would much prefer to play with his dad.  His favorite is currently StarWars.  Action figures, Wii game, movies, books, you name it.  He loves learning more about it from Steve. Every time he gets him to a new level on the Lego Star Wars game on the Wii he gives him a big hug and says, "I love you daddy! You are the best!"  So glad he has his priorities in line!  But I am glad he has developed such a good relationship with Steve.  They are the best of buds!

One Week

Today is the one week mark of being a wife, again.  How is it different the second time around?  Steve and I have discussed this a lot in the past 15 months of being together. How our experiences have changed us, made us better, and what we learned about ourselves and marriage in general.  I know my weaknesses and insecurities and so does he, and I his.  It is nice that we have been so open about our past experiences, and the emotions involved.  I woke up the first two morning as a married women, and although I felt extremely happy, I also felt extremely scared.  It was strange.  I didn't expect to feel that way.  I talked about it with Steve- I can talk to him about anything and he understands and is never angry.  I love him for that.  The time we spent together over the weekend was priceless, the way we can talk for hours and how the time flies by amazes me.  I always feel better after talking to him.  I began praying for the confidence in marriage that is required to be successful together.  I know the Lord understands my fears, and I know Steve does too.  It was nice to feel understood.  It was even nicer to feel the love and commitment of my amazing husband. 

A week has passed, my heart has prayed continually and I have allowed my mind to reflect without analyzing and trying to "fix" myself.  It worked.  Sometimes just letting ourselves accept who we are is beneficial in understanding what results and actions will best benefit us.  Today, 7 days after saying the "I do's", and promising myself to this man, my confidence in marriage is soaring, my love for my husband and children has deepened, and my testimony in the eternal plan is clear.  Marriage truly is ordained of God and my Heavenly Father knows and loves me and has blessed me beyond measure, beyond anything I could previously had hoped for or expected.  I am happily, completely, and devotedly married to a man that Heavenly Father put on this earth for me.  I know it. I love him beyond words.

Life as a wife, is again, life as it should be.

Family for Sale

Today at dinner we were talking about things that we need to sell.  (We have a lot of duplicate stuff and things that just don't get used that we would like to sell to earn some money.)  Steve was joking around with Carter and said "I think we should sell the Wii".  Carter was not happy with that!  He begged and pleaded that we don't sell the Wii.  We started on the "Would you rather's..." such as, "would you rather sell all your movies or all your toys", "Would you rather sell your light sabers or your Star Wars game", Etc.  Somehow it got turned to, "would you rather sell Elli or the Wii?"  Then on to mommy, daddy, etc.  Needless to say, we learned a lot at dinner tonight.  Primarily, that our son would rather sell all of us than his Wii.  Specifically, he would sell me to "Camerica", Elli to "California", and Steve to "the ocean".  Although Steve is worst off because he "wont even have a diving board in the ocean and has to wear his clothes."  Elli is at least "close to Disneyland."  And as for me, I am just plain, "sold to Camerica". 

New Blog

Welcome to our new blog!
Wedding pictures will follow shortly...